Adult Education At St. Stephen’s

By Ann Duclos

St. Stephen’s offers two Sunday schools — one for children known as "Godly Play;” the other for adults known as "Adult Education.” This past year, instead of meeting on Sunday mornings in person, Adult Ed met Tuesday afternoons via zoom. Our weekly programs have served such a big, vibrant, and occasionally overwhelming part of my spiritual growth. I have especially relished collaborating with Meg Fitch in planning the programs. Meg, thank you for being so darn available and easy to reach. Where in the heck do you stash your wealth of ideas?

Meg Fitch (left) and Ann Duclos (right) jubilate in the success of Adult Education during covid. This coming fall, Devon Jersild will rejoin the team.

I’d also like to thank you, Ryan, for letting me call you in a weekly and head-achey panic of how to make our publicity lie down and behave on the web. Thank you, Paul, for jumping in to offer bible study in a hard to manage time period — every other Tuesday for 12 weeks! Who does those sort of sudden gymnastics as a brand new minister on zoom? Thank you, Annemarie, for your big warm smiling forgiveness regardless of how late or long-winded our digest copy was.

Thank you, Dee, for introducing us to meditation as a way to age gracefully. You are a glowing example. Thank you, Henry R, for joining us both as a pilgrim and a participant from way up there in the mountains. Thank you, Linda, for causing howls of laughter whenever you’d say something perfectly sassy and true! And thank you to the creators of “Sacred Ground,” the national church program, which guided us through our ugly history of white domination.

We offered 25 wonderful programs on zoom since the shut-down began. Our talks ranged far and wide from restorative justice and the traditions of Sikhism to poems of resurrection and the gulf between science and faith. It has been a rich experience. I’m looking forward to our upcoming Adult Ed programs commencing after Labor Day.

Watch out and stay tuned!